DO THE WORK

by Marsha Burns

1 Corinthians 3:
11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,
13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is.
14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward.
15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

We are still in the season of building on a clean foundation. Our work begins in us; we are the temple of the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

And, we already know that our work is spiritual, not carnal – gold, silver, and precious stones = faith, redemption, and the work of the Holy Spirit.

I am looking once again at how we are building on this clean foundation since it’s been awhile since the LORD revealed the essence of this season to me. Are we still building by the Spirit? And, actually, I’m wondering if we are building at all with each of us doing the work necessary?

I see this as building both individually and corporately.

In a recent dream, we were in the car parked at one end of a parking lot. It was kind of between seasons and the parking lot was icy. Two women were walking through and one fell while the other kept going. She got up and immediately fell again. She got up a third time but only to her knees and fell again. At this point, I decided that we needed to help her, so I drove the car in her direction. As soon as she saw us coming and could see that we cared, she gave up. She was an older woman who was also overweight, and I knew that it was too slippery to get out of the car and lift her up. Then, I thought that if she grabbed the car door handle she might be able to lift herself up, but if she fell again she might sue us. I also thought that if she could just hang on to the door handle we could maybe slide her along to dry ground, but if she fell under the car we might run over her. So, really the only solution was to call 911.

Our car represents ministry.
Slippery conditions means that the woman was walking on dangerous spiritual ground.
Woman was symbolic of well-fed people in the Church.
Giving up was her wanting to transfer responsibility for her condition to us.
We were afraid to help because she would transfer blame if something went wrong.
Our only solution was to call for help, which is to pray to God.
The woman was well-fed, which means she knew the Word of God, but she entered into treacherous spiritual territory, perhaps without considering the possible consequences.

Isaiah 28:
9 "Whom will he teach knowledge? And whom will he make to understand the message? Those just weaned from milk? Those just drawn from the breasts?
10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little."
11 For with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people,
12 To whom He said, "This is the rest with which You may cause the weary to rest," And, "This is the refreshing"; yet they would not hear.
13 But the word of the LORD was to them, "Precept upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little," That they might go and fall backward, and be broken and snared and caught.

Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest:

"He charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead." Mark 9:9Say nothing until the Son of man is risen in you - until the life of the risen Christ so dominates you that you understand what the historic Christ taught. When you get to the right state on the inside, the word, which Jesus has spoken is so plain that you are amazed you did not see it before. You could not understand it before; you were not in the place in disposition where it could be borne. Our Lord does not hide these things; they are unbearable until we get into a proper spiritual condition. "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now." There must be communion with His risen life before a particular word can be borne by us … An obstinate outlook will effectually hinder God from revealing anything to us. If we have made up our minds about a doctrine, the light of God will come no more to us on that line, we cannot get it. This obtuse stage will end immediately [when] His resurrection life has its way with us.

1 Corinthians 3:
1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ.
2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able;
3 for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?

I recently heard someone say that character is easier kept than recovered.

James 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

We already know these scriptures. We already know that we’re building on a clean foundation. But, are we doing the work? Are we applying what we know?


Colossians 3:
23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,
24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.
25 But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality.

The signs are all around us to reveal that we are living in the “end times.” But, do we believe it?

Luke 12:45-48 But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. And, that servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.

Matthew 25:
14 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.
15 "And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.
16 "Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.
17 "And likewise he who had received two gained two more also.
18 "But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money.
19 "After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.
20 "So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’
21 "His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
22 "He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’
23 "His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
24 "Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.
25 ‘And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’
26 "But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.
27 ‘So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.
28 ‘Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.
29 ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.
I am bringing this message to remind us that Jesus IS coming. Are we ready? Are we doers of the word?

Romans 13:
11 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.
12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.
13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.
14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

We need to take each moment as it comes and choose to be obedient to the Word of God;
choose to overcome the works of the flesh, the world and the devil; choose to walk in the Spirit.

That is how we will be able to do the work!

Faith Tabernacle

http://ft111.com